Ottawa to Montreal to Mexico City

The title of this post should have included the text "to Zihuatanejo." Stay tuned for why. 

We were up and ready for Joe to pick us up at 4:30an and take us to Dorval airport in Montreal to board the 10:01am AeroMexico flight to Mexico City. That started off with a bang ... we head into the airport and approach the checkin screens planning to press AeroMexico's icon to start the familiar process. The screens had no text even resembling that carrier (debacle #1 for the day).

We walk to our right then realize we will not find a desk for the airline, so do a 180 and stop to ask a guy in the red jacket. He points us to a sign, telling us to approach that sign then turn right. There was a lineup of about 60 people already there by about 6:30am waiting for the attendants to arrive.

About 6:45, a gang of AeroMexico suited personnel showed up and erected some stanchions for the rabble to cue up in. They gave no instructions (or at least none anyone more than 2 centimetres away could hear) on what the queue was supposed to do. There was a dash for the new queue's real estate and we had no clue what was going on. By the time we managed to extract some advice from a suited AM agent, we were no longer treated to spot 61. We were now probably in spot 102.

About 7:15 they opened the queue in front of their desks and check in started. They had 4 agents who served the priority queue as well as the proletariat queue we were in. By about 8:30 we were checked in.

I breezed through security by my babe was treated to the 10th degree of inspection and we left security at about 9:15am. We trotted off to the gate and stood in the zone 4 line. Soon thereafter we boarded and left on time. The flight to Mexico City was uneventful but (sit down for the next 4 words to avoid fainting from the shock) they FED us breakfast. Say what!

The move through immigration and customs was painless and we then had a nice meal just inside security. We then found salon A where our flight was to depart from after what seemed to be a 5km walk. We watched the departure screens and noticed many puddle jumpers heading every which way from MEX (Benito Juarez airport call letters). There were announcements made from the gate area down a few stairs that were so loud we could not understand a word that was said.

About 5:45pm, we noticed the Zihuatanejo flight had disappeared from the screen. The flight info did not stay there with the familiar CANCELLED text beside it. That would be taken as "AM caring about its clients" which we can't have here. Dominique approached the help desk and returned with 2 boarding passes to our cancelled flight that had been rescheduled for 7am tomorrow.

We asked a few employees in MEX for directions to the in-airport hotel. We got different advice from about 4 people, sort of the old "ask for 4 sets of directions and get 5 different ones in return." We finally found the NH hotel and it took a millenium to check in and then I noticed that the new boarding passes said October 9 whereas the rescheduled flight was to go on October 10. We left our bags at the front desk and returned to the AM counter on the departure level.

The gentleman that assisted us seemed bewildered with our request but sought out some advice from a supervisor. Here is what we were told, as well as the sequence of our comeback questions ...

• The 7am flight Tuesday is actually a reschedule of today's flight ... same flight number
• I ask how we can get through security as the October 9 dated boarding pass we had would be turned away
• Agent disappears again
• He returns and tells us that the October 9 date will work AFTER they inform security of our using that previous dated boarding pass
• I ask what we are to do if we get there at 5:30am and find a lineup that could take us more than an hour to negotiate
• Now this highlights the gist of exhanges ...
• Come to the departure area around 5am
• I ask when they open
• He informs me they are open 24 by 7
• What if there is nobody at the desk?
• I say "what are we supposed to do if that happens"
• He then tells us to speak with one of the yellow vested employees of AM and that person will, after listening to our story (and I recited my Spanish version of what I would say to that person and got good feedback from my girl on how I did). That person will notify the person who scans the boarding passes on the entrance to security and they will accept the October 9 departure date ... in theory.

We return to the hotel and get our bags to find out they have been delivered to our room 3056. We take the lift to the third floor, follow the signage, walk about what seemed an eternity, and run out of room numbers. We backtrack then find a housekeeper who tells us where they have hidden room 3056. The signage that tells one where the room has been hidden is ONLY visible if you are walking towards the elevators rather than away from them.

Maggie Muggins, you have had quite a day. Alarms set for 4:30am. We will walk the 10 minute saunter to the 24 by 7 AM counter and I fully expect to find it closed until who knows when. Hopefully we will be in Zihuatanejo at our palace by 10am.

Lesson learned from today ... something we have all known since not long after we left the womb:

Most workers on a service or help desk organization, often choose an answer to client dilemmas by manufacturing a response that will please the customer and get the F rid of them and out of their hair.

Reminds us of the Total Bastard airline skit from Saturday Night Live (see here). Not the same side of customer service, but not far from the way a lot of (NOT all) companies would rather treat their clientel.